In the air conditioning, heating, and refrigeration (AHR) of buildings, a mechanical system is used to maintain space or room conditions within the structure. These systems produce dry bulb temperatures, wet bulb temperatures, relative humidity (RH), air filtration, and outside air ventilation for the structure or building in which they are used.
However, offices, buildings, nursing homes, schools, auditoriums, enclosed spaces, and other structures are heated and cooled using systems that may not provide the most healthful air for people to breathe. For example, fungi may establish colonies in the system. In particular, the fungi may establish colonies in ventilation ducts and/or on the cooling coils and in the drain pans used in the system. Then, when air circulates through the system it picks up the fungi and building occupants unknowingly inhale the fungi.
Additionally, many ventilation systems are designed to repeatedly circulate the same air through the system, taking in and exhausting only a minimal amount of air. Thus, in these systems the same air is repeatedly blown through coils/ducts and over drain pans which might be coated with fungi. Such ventilation systems may cause significant problems in hospitals, schools, nursing homes, research labs, factories, apartments, offices, occupied buildings, enclosed spaces, and structures where clean air is needed.
There is thus a growing need to provide air for hospitals, schools, offices, and other buildings in which the air quality is high and the humidity level is always comfortable for building occupants. Thus, it would be desirable to create a heating and cooling apparatus that avoids the problems associated with recirculating air in buildings. It would also be desirable to provide clean comfortable air to building occupants. It would also be desirable if the apparatus was able to minimize energy consumption, while at the same time provide for all heating and cooling needs of the structure or building.